


We Need Each Other

by fienhagus77



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Gangs, Love/Hate, Non-Explicit, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-10-14 09:41:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fienhagus77/pseuds/fienhagus77
Summary: El, beautiful, badass, and feared leader of her gang, the Lyra's.Mike, handsome, brooding, feared leader of his gang, The Draco's.Will these two gangs clash or work out their differences when forced to work together to take down a new common enemy?





	1. The Bet

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first story in the Stranger Things fandom! Just a few notes about the story, it is rated M for violence and swearing. Sexual content may be implied but I will NOT be going into detail. All characters are obviously aged up, probably around 25 years old. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think and sorry for any typos or errors! I always proof read but I may not catch everything. :)

“Boss!” 

Mike rolls his eyes for the third time in the last ten minutes, knowing what his right hand man is about to say, _ again. _

“I don’t think this is such a good idea...everyone knows that the _ Upside Down _is Lyra territory! Their leader is going to lose her shit if we just show up!”

Again, Mike rolls his eyes and smirks at his brown haired friend, “Byers, calm down, that bar is just as much ours as it is theirs. Besides, they aren’t over priced like every other shitty bar in this town. Oh, and lastly, who cares what the Lyra’s say? Not like they can kick us out.”

Will shuts his mouth and sits back, exchanging uneasy looks with his other two friends. They all know it’s a bad idea but their leader, Mike, wants to go anyways. Ever since his mother’s passing, Mike had been more heartless than before. Stirring up trouble seemed to be his favorite hobby now besides racing on his motorbike. 

Finally they all arrive and Mike parks his 1968 Ford Shelby in the back, away from drunk people who will no doubt open their doors and ding his baby. Running his fingers through his hair one last time, he grabs his leather jacket and heads into the bar with the rest of the gang. 

Immediately the noisy atmosphere quiets down and everyone turns to stare, even the DJ has stopped playing music. Some men cower in their seats, fear etched on their faces. A couple women bat their eyes and swoon in the corner, elbowing their friends. 

The gang ignores all this and heads up to the bar to order. 

“Four Amber Ales,” Mike is about to say but is cut off when he hears someone clearing their throat. 

Sighing, he slowly turns around already knowing who it is. It’s the leader of the Lyra’s; fierce, beautiful, and intimidating El Hopper with her right hand women Max Mayfield. Mike takes a moment to drink her in. Her waist long hair is pulled into a low ponytail and her makeup has a smoky effect to it, accenting her honey colored eyes. Her heeled boots are kicked up on the table and she is slowly taking a drag from her cigarette. He can feel something stirring inside the pit of his stomach but he ignores it, he knows he’s attracted to her but they are sworn enemies. 

If it weren’t for the fact that he was respected and feared by everyone in Hawkins he would be terrified of El. She is also as equally feared and respected but her gang was smaller than his, strength in numbers he reminds himself. 

She hands her cigarette to Max and slowly gets up from her seat, coming face to face with Mike. The room is silent as everyone waits to see what will transpire. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the infamous Draco’s,” El says clucking her tongue, “To what do I owe this honor?” she finishes with a smirk. 

“Hey Princess,” Mike says, knowing it annoys the absolute fuck out of her when he calls her that, “Just here for beers and a good time. No need to start anything,” and because he’s feeling bold all of a sudden he reaches out to stroke her cheek.

“Don’t call me Princess and don’t touch me!” EL says slapping him hard across the cheek while the whole room is filled with gasps. However, Mike only laughs and then offers her his hand as a truce. 

“Truce, for just tonight? I’m not here to cause trouble, promise,” Mike says winking at the end, and El can only squint suspiciously, she knows of his reputation almost as well as she knows her own. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

El knows she should kick him out, this is pretty much _ her _bar, but, she is feeling generous tonight and contemplates it while taking him in. She hates Mike, feared leader of the Draco’s, but she can’t help the attraction she feels for him. His curly dark hair that frames his slim, high cheekbones, skimming over his coffee- colored eyes, or the slight smattering of freckles that cover his face. Not to mention he is in great shape, the way his tight black jeans hug his hips or how his white v-neck t-shirt accents his biceps. His leather jacket is slung casually over his shoulder and his muscles flex from the movement, making her cheeks warm up. 

Shaking her head and pushing away the betraying thoughts, she notices he is smirking at her, totally catching her checking him out. Clearing her throat again she waves her hand and signals she doesn’t care if he stays and promptly props herself up in her seat again. 

The DJ starts playing music again and everyone gets back to their own business. “Shit El, that was intense!” Max says as the Draco’s head back to the bar, “I thought for sure you were either going to kick them out or start making out with their leader!” El simply rolls her eyes but doesn’t deny the claims. 

About an hour later, El notices the Draco’s are still there and have picked up a game of pool. Feeling encouraged by the alcohol pumping through her veins, she makes her way over to them. 

They all eye her warily, except Mike, who seems to be intrigued by her sudden appearance. She holds out her hand and the one named Henderson hastily hands her the pool stick. 

“Let’s make a little bet Mike, if I win, you and your goonies leave my bar and never step foot in here again. If you win, you four can come here whenever and even get house discounts. Deal?”

“Hmm...”Mike says pretending to contemplate, “Ok, but I’m going to one up you, if I win, I also get a kiss from you,” he whispers, with a glint of mischief in his eyes. His friends all smack their faces in disbelief but surprisingly El shakes his hand in agreement. 

“Fine, but the kiss can’t be done publicly, I have a reputation to uphold,” El whispers back seductively, trying to shake his concentration. 

El turns to the one named Sinclair, nodding her head and he quickly racks the table. He backs away, pats Mike on the shoulder, and goes to join the small crowd that is already forming. 

Twenty minutes in and they are both tied, each with one object ball left. By now, the entire bar is gathered around and the DJ is commentating. Max is biting her nails and the boys are looking on with genuine interest. 

El decides to remove her jacket and flaunt her cleavage in front of Mike, trying again to distract him, but he only chuckles. “Sorry babe, I’ve already been looking at them all night so that isn’t much of a distraction,” he says winking at her again. Flushing from anger and embarrassment, El goes to take her shot and misses by a hair length. 

“Dammit!” she yells, pulling on her hair in frustration. 

The crowd is silent once again, waiting to see if Mike is about to win it all. He lines up to take his shot and it sails perfectly into El’s ball, knocking it into the nearest pocket. He whoops in excitement and his gang members swarm him in congratulations. 

The crowd is staring at El, waiting to see her reaction when she turns around and gives them all a death glare, “Games over, these losers are to be welcomed here from now on,” she says while bile rises in her throat. She turns on her heel and makes her way past Max and out the door into the cool night air. 

“Fuck!!!” she screams while punching the air in frustration. 

“Sorry to interrupt your pity party darling but I believe you owe me something,” someone says from behind her and El turns around to come face to face with Mike. 

“Screw you,” she whispers venomously to him, trying to walk away but he grabs her wrists and lightly pulls her towards him. 

El notices how close they are and her breathing picks up. Mike skims his nose along her cheek and she can hear his breath near her ear, “I know you secretly want this too,” he barely whispers in her ear. 

El shivers, not from the cold night air, and tries to deny his claims, “What! You are delusional! I-what- you just-” but she can’t seem to get a complete thought out. 

Mike laughs against her neck while anger and lust fills her body. “You are unbelievable,” she says but she suddenly yanks on his shirt and his lips crash against hers. He responds with enthusiasm and tangles his hands in her hair, which she had let down before the pool game started. The need grows inside her lower stomach and she jumps up, wrapping her legs around his waist as they stumble slightly against a nearby wall. 

“I- (kiss)- still- (kiss)- hate you,” El says as she grips his biceps. Mike simply responds by pressing her harder against the wall. 

Someone clears their throat and El and Mike spring apart, breathing heavily. 

“Um, sorry boss, just checking on you to make sure you were ok…” the one named Byers says as he nervously scratches the back of his head. 

El brushes herself off and turns to Will, acting like she wasn’t just caught in a heavy make out session with his leader. “Mike, you and your members are welcomed here whenever, but if I hear you starting any shit I will personally kick you all out,” she says glaring at both of them. 

Will nods and whispers a “thanks” while Mike only smiles cockily at her, “Yes ma’am!”

El aggressively pushes past him and goes back into the bar, desperately trying to calm her racing heart rate. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, um- what was that about?” Byers tried to ask casually before he and Mike headed back inside. 

Mike smiles, feeling pride and something else well up inside him. “Will, my man, all part of the deal I guess,” he supplies casually. 

Will eyes him suspiciously but chooses to ignore it for now. They both slide their jackets back on and head back into the bar to get the rest of the members. 

As they turn a corner to pick a table, they hear a crash from behind them. Turning around, they see El has a man shoved hard against a bar table, a knife to his throat. She is glaring at him and Mike had never seen anyone so scary and captivating, this wasn’t the same El he was just making out with outside. 

“Who the fuck are you! I’m not stupid I know who you work for!” El screams into the man’s face. 

Will, Dustin, and Lucas look at Mike, wondering if they should step in. Mike shakes his head and holds his arm out in front of them, turning his attention back to El and the man who is still pinned against the table. 

“I swear! I don’t know who you are talking about!” the guy stutters out in fear. 

“Bullshit!” El yells, “You all think you are so clever but you all dress the same! Now tell me, who sent you!”

“Please- I don’t know-” but the man is cut off when El puts down the knife and turns around to punch him, knocking him out cold. 

She casually wipes off her knuckles and turns to Max, “Check his wallet.” 

Max pats the man down and grabs his wallet, handing it over to El. She dumps the contents and stiffens when a badge falls out. “I knew it-” she says in disgust, and before anyone can react she bends down and skillfully takes the knife across the man's throat. “Clean up the mess,” she tells some men nearby, who quickly nod and get to work. 

El takes one last look at the now dead man and makes her way outside again. 

The Draco’s nod, gently grab Max, and make their way outside to check on El. She is leaning against a wall, a cigarette in her mouth. 

“Um, mind telling us what that was about?” Mike says, taking the cigarette from her and taking a drag. 

“None of your damn business,” El says, taking her cigarette back, smashing it into the ground. 

“El...come on they may be able to help, more numbers means more power,” Max started to say, trying to appease to El. 

El sighs and rubs a hand across her face, smearing her eye liner slightly, making her smokey eye makeup more prominent. 

“They call themselves the Department of Energy, ran by a guy named Martin Brenner. He thinks he needs to purge the world of gangs so he goes around and makes life hell for those who are in charge of influential gangs. About a year ago, I got an anonymous call from one of Brenner’s men saying they had captured my dad and some woman. I didn’t believe him so they sent me pictures,” El finished with a sob. Max put her arm around her comfortingly. 

Mike’s heart stopped, no it had to be a coincidence, didn’t it? His mother had died about a year ago, cause of death unknown and the morgue wouldn’t let anyone see her. 

“El…” Mike said trying to control the fear that was lacing his voice, “When...when was this?”

El glared at him in a ‘why does that matter’ kind of way but blew the air out from her mouth, “February 10th, why?”

Mike noticeably paled and his members all gasped in shock. 

“What?” El asks noticing all their expressions. 

“El, do you still have the pictures? Was the woman in them?” Mike barely squeaks out.

Max and El trade confused glances with each other, “Of course I kept the pictures, that’s evidence.”

“Can I please see them?” Mike said, his whole body shaking in fear, it just couldn’t be _ her, _there was no way. 

El pulls out her phone with a shrug and hands it over to Mike after she had found the pictures she stored away. 

A few seconds went by and suddenly Mike drops El’s phone, almost cracking the screen. 

“Mike! What the fuck!” El yells picking up her phone and dusting it off. She looked up at Mike and it was the first time in her life that she had seen the fearless Draco leader so full of fear and sadness. 

“That’s...El that woman with your dad, that’s my mom.”


	2. The Headquarters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the likes and the comments! They always make writers feel good. :)

El almost dropped her phone again and let out a string of cuss words as she dusted it off again. “Your mom is Karen?!”

“How do you know her name?” Mike asked, sadness ebbing away while anger took its place. He wasn’t mad at El, she couldn’t have known it was his mother, no one knew who his family was for safety reasons, but this man, Brenner, had somehow connected the pieces. 

El simply shrugged again, “Two of my Lyra’s, Robin and Erica, are pretty good computer hackers, along with Max here. They were able to face match the picture, but we could never crack the code on her last name. What is your last name Mike?” El was genuinely curious.

Mike grunted, “No one knows except the Draco’s, and for now it’s going to stay that way. It’s not safe. My dad taught me everything I know but let’s just say he isn’t a nice man. End of discussion.”

“Jesus fuck, calm down you don’t have to tell us, not like anyone here but Max knows my real name, too,” El said staring him down. 

In the background Lucas finally spoke up, “Wait, Erica as in Erica Sinclair?! What the fuck! When did she join the damn Lyra’s!”

“Hey, watch the tone douchebag!” Max yelled while El simply scoffed, waving her down.

“She’s 18 now, she passed initiation with flying colors and now she is one of us.”

“Um, what’s your initiation exactly?” Lucas asked casually. 

“Helped me kill a couple of Brenner’s men,” El said without any remorse. Seeing the look on Lucas’ face she added, “She didn’t do anything she didn’t want to, so don’t give me that damn look. Don’t act like initiation into the Draco’s is a walk in the park.”

Lucas rolled his eyes but let it go, she was right after all, getting to be a part of the Draco’s wasn’t easy, especially with Mike being such a hardass at times. 

“How did you not know your mom was kidnapped?” El asked finally breaking the tense moment. 

Mike’s shoulders tensed again, which El low key stared at in admiration, but now wasn’t the time.“That asshole, Brenner, faked a car accident, made it look like she died on impact. I was never allowed to ID the body, which makes sense now because there was no body! How could I have been so stupid!”

Someone put their hand on his shoulder and he shook it off. “Mike, how could you have known? The accident looked legit, we all saw the aftermath,” Will said consolingly. 

“Ya! But they wouldn’t let me even see her, I should have known something was wrong!” Mike was breathing hard now, his hands tightening into fists. “This Brenner guy will pay, if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Wow, something we can agree on,” El said with sass. She knew Mike was upset, hell she was still upset about Hopper missing, but she knew simply talking about it wasn’t going to change anything so she sighed. “Mike, look at me, we are working on finding leads but it’s difficult. This Brenner guy is no joke. He moves locations every time we get an idea as to where he is. I’m not sure if he knows I am onto him or if it’s coincidental”

Mike closed his eyes in thought, “If it is true that he is onto you then that would mean you have a rat somewhere. How else would he know? Unless your hackers are careless and leave a trail.”

Max glared, about to retaliate but El put her hand up, “Screw you Mike, Lyra’s don’t do anything half ass, so if you want our help quit insulting us!” 

“Ugh, fine, but I don’t fucking do apologies so don’t expect one.”

El and Mike simply glared daggers at each other until Will finally spoke up. “Look, I know we are sworn enemies or some shit, but for now we need each other, so put your bullshit feelings aside and let’s get your parents back!”

Everyone stared at him in awe, Will was usually the quiet and passive one, but he had a point. They needed to work together if they wanted to figure this out. 

“Do you guys have like a headquarters set up? I’m sure you aren’t just hacking in the back of the bar every night,” Dustin asked with excitement bubbling up, “I’m great with computers as well, I can help!”

El felt unsure but she knew she would have to show them their hideout eventually so she put her hands up in surrender. “Ok, I will show you guys, but I swear to God if anyone outside this group finds our spot I will castrate all four of you,” she said giving them all a look. 

The Draco’s all nodded, they wouldn’t mess this up, they would help Mike find his mom. Afterall, he would do the same for them if they were in his shoes.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike was having a hard time controlling the conflicting thoughts that were going through his head. For one, he was beyond mad that he was led to believe that his mother had died in a car accident. Two, he felt guilty for not pursuing the mirky details of her death. Third, he was nervous to be working with El, he was supposed to hate her, to be enemies, but he knew deep down that he was attracted to her and working with her was bound to make those feelings grow. 

Despite all these thoughts, he had to be strong. He was Mike, feared leader of the Draco’s! He could take down these Department of Energy assholes! He would find his mom and he would help El find her father as well. 

“Well, let’s go, I want to start finding more leads on this asshole,” Mike said taking his car keys out, “Good thing I barely drank anything tonight. Draco’s let’s go!” he barked out to his guys. 

Mike turned around and noticed El opening the door to a Lotus Evora, “What the hell! That car is yours?! How?!”

“Um...ya? Your car is badass too though, I like vintage. Anyways, I’m not taking this baby tonight,” and she bent over into the back seat to pull out a helmet. “Max and I are taking our bikes.”

Mike was once again flabbergasted and had to remind himself to close his damn mouth before bugs flew in, “You know how to ride?”- El shook her head yes- and Mike couldn't help the thoughts that began to fill his mind when she put her helmet on over her long hair. 

“You going to stare all night or are you going to get in your car so you can follow us?” El said, openly flirting with him. “Don’t lose us, I won’t wait for you,” and with that she was climbing onto her bike and revving it. 

Mike mentally smacked himself and climbed into his car, getting ready to follow her crazy ass to some unknown location. “Dude!’ Dustin began, “I know we are (air quote) enemies but damn El Hopper is hot! You should totally hit-” but Mike gave him a death glare, mumbling ‘not happening’ before he could finish the thought. Will and Lucas simply laughed from the back seats, knowing the red coloring on Mike’s cheeks wasn’t from the cold. 

“Alright assholes, just help me keep track of her and Max, if we lose them she pretty much said tough shit.” So, from then on out all men were vigilant on following El and Max, who seemed to enjoy weaving in and out of traffic, getting up to speeds of 100 MPH. When they finally got to the secret location, the two women climbed off their bikes laughing, “Man, you should see your faces right now!” Max yelled clutching her sides. 

El was still laughing and reached up to take off her helmet, shaking out her long hair. Once again, Mike had to remind himself to close his mouth and breathe in and out. 

“‘Not happening’, eh?” Dustin whispered from behind him, elbowing him in the side. Mike wanted to retaliate but merely sighed in indignation, obviously Dustin had caught him staring like a fool. Instead, he looked around and took in his surroundings. They were standing in a run down industrial park. Most of the buildings around them had cracked windows and the doors were busted down. Graffiti covered every inch of the walls and not a soul was in sight. A perfect place for secret headquarters. 

“Come on, not much to see out here,” El said, grabbing everyone’s attention, Max had already started making her way down a nearby alleyway. 

If it were any other woman, Mike would have feared for her safety hanging out in parts like this at night, but she was El, the goddamn fearless leader of the Lyra’s. Hell, people were scared of her and Mike just walking by them. Everyone knew of the things they had both done in their past, and at that moment he felt an odd sense of pride overwhelm him. El did what she had to do to survive, what she had to do to protect her gang, just like he did everyday of his life since he turned 16 and became the leader of the Draco’s. 

Finally, they reached a door about 6 buildings down that was covered by shadows of some nearby trees. The door wasn’t wooden, rather it had been replaced by a heavy duty metal one, that could only be opened by fingerprints. He watched on as El laid her hand flat on the pad and the door beeped, hissing as it opened. 

The Draco’s were in absolute shock when they walked in. They were expecting it to be some run down hangout, with a few computers and moldy couches here and there. Instead, they saw high comfort couches, office chairs, and three huge computer screens perched upon a desk. On the other side of the room was a wall filled with pictures, newspaper articles, and thumbtacks attached to string. The string zig-zagged in different directions and Mike noticed some of the pictures had a huge red X through them. 

“Wow, this set up is legit!” Dustin yelled out, rocking back and forth on his heels, like he couldn’t wait to test out the technology. 

“Cute,” El deadpanned, noticing his enthusiasm, “but if you break anything, you buy it, and this shit isn’t cheap, not to mention it took me most of the year to get it all. We first started off with a crappy laptop Max’s brother had left behind when he skipped town.” 

“How did you acquire all this stuff?” Mike asked in awe, he wasn’t against stealing by any means but he didn’t know anywhere in town that sold stuff this nice. 

El smiled proudly and sat on the couch, stretching her legs out, “Simple, big businesses that came here to expand left soon after once they found out this area is run by gangs. Erica, Robin, Max, and I would loot the places once they left. Surprisingly, they always left some nice things behind so we would take it. Wouldn’t even call it stealing, more like taking it off their hands for them. Ran into a couple other small gangs here in there who were trying to take the technology and sell it for money but once I beat the shit out of one of their leaders they never came back. Fucking Troy and his goonies, what a joke.”

All the Draco’s burst out laughing. “Ya, he tried his best to get on with us but Mike flat out refused. We have some standards,” Lucas said wiping tears from his eyes. 

”Anyways, back to why we came here,” Mike said trying to get his guys back into focus.  _ Jesus am I the only mature one here?!  _ “Lay it on me princess, what do you have as far as leads so far?”

El scoffed from across the room, “Keep calling me princess and babe and your nickname will become asshole.” Mike simply shrugged his shoulders, as if it was worth it as long as he got to call her random nicknames. “Anyways, right now we don’t have any solid leads, that man that showed up tonight was probably on the lower end of the food chain and went rogue, higher ups wouldn’t be stupid enough to ambush me at my bar,” she said laughing menacingly. “We have caught a few of Brenner’s right hand men during drug deals. They pretend to be potential suppliers in order to trap us but I’m not stupid. Their demeanor gives them away almost immediately. Tied them up for a few days to get info from them but they wouldn’t budge. Robin came to check on them one day and they had ingested something from their pocket, died within minutes.”

Mike mulled this info over, worried that some of his suppliers may have been infiltrated as well. Will’s older brother Johnathon was their normal supplier though so he wasn’t too worried about it. Mike and his guys didn’t actually do drugs, and he had a feeling El didn’t either, but selling it came with the territory of being gang leaders. He ran his hand through his long curls in frustration, he wasn’t too sure where to start looking for leads and knew he would be useless at the moment. 

Suddenly, an idea came to him. There was one person he knew who would do anything to stir up trouble. An asshole named Billy, who ran a small gang called the Demogorgans ( _ whatever the hell that was!). _ His gang never stuck around for long, always skipping town and coming and going when they pleased. This always pissed Mike off, Hawkins was his town ( _ don’t say that out loud around El, she would kick his ass no doubt)  _ and Billy always tried to challenge him and the Draco’s when he came around. It was usually bike races, that Mike of course always won, but sometimes Billy came looking for a physical fight, which he also always won. 

“Have you checked out Billy and his gang, the Demogorgans?” 

“How do you know Billy?!” Max asked in suspicion, “He’s never in town anymore, ran off over a year ago.”

Mike guffawed, “How do you know Billy? And obviously not well or you would know he comes by all the time challenging me, trying to take out the Draco’s so he can be in charge.”

“Ugh, half-brother unfortunately, and actually you are right, I don’t keep tabs on him, that abusive ass-hole. Jokes on him though, once El took me in, she taught me martial arts and I went home one day to kick his sorry ass, hasn’t bothered me sense,” Max said clapping her hands together. 

“Wait,” Dustin said making everyone pause to look at him, “First off Max, that sucks that you were family with Billy! Like really sucks! Second, umm El you ride a bike and know martial arts?!”

Mike was about to chastise him for pointing out the obvious but deep down he was really impressed too, was El even real?! How did he know so little about her all this time? Oh, that’s right, they were supposed to be enemies because they were on opposing gangs. His dick of a dad had instilled that into his mind from a young age,  _ Don’t trust anyone Mike! Draco’s are blood and that’s all you need! _

El had ignored Dustin and turned to face Mike, “Why do you mention Billy? Why would he want to work for Brenner? I know he’s a useless waste of space but why him?”

“Not sure, he’s a sketchy guy. Plus, he has wanted me and the Draco’s gone for as long as I can remember. It wouldn’t surprise me if he struck a deal with Brenner…” The thought alone made Mike’s blood boil, if Billy had anything to do with his mom being found and kidnapped he would end him. His mom, and sisters, were under strict protection of the Draco’s, it’s a shock to him now that Brenner had even been able to find her. Luckily, after the ‘accident’, Mike had had a nagging feeling to put his sisters into hiding. As of now, only the guys and Steve Harrington knew where Nancy and Holly where. 

“Worth checking into,” El said rubbing her temples, like the thought of Billy alone was giving her a headache. Mike felt a strong urge to go over and massage her shoulders but he quickly shoved the thought away. “Mike, you said he randomly shows up, we can’t wait for him to decide and come around, do you guys happen to know where he may be?”

“I know,” Will said surprising everyone, “Johnathon heard some clients talk about monthly races he puts on at the old tracks, he said he didn’t think much on it because it was just racing. Anyways, the next one is the last Friday of the month.” 

“Fuck, that’s three weeks away,” El seethed, “But it will have to do, we don’t have any other leads at the moment but for the time being everyone keep their eyes and ears open. Draco’s, looks like we are in a temporary alliance. This literally never happens so consider yourself lucky. Meet back at The Upside Down a week from now so we can start planning and discuss anything new we may have.” 

El opened the door for them but Dustin lagged behind, “Wait, I have always wondered, why are you called the Lyra’s? I mean, Draco is just Latin for dragon but what…?”

Mike smacked him over the head but El didn’t seem bothered by the question, “I love stars and it’s one if my favorite constellations.” 

Dustin looked awed, “Legitness, and impressive you started the gang from the ground up. Mikey here got the Draco’s when his pop retired.” 

“Right, Dustin, and it was so easy being chosen as the new leader,” Mike said with thick sarcasm. 

Dustin put his hands up in surrender while El cocked her eyebrow, “Right...anyways goodnight Draco’s,” and with that, she closed the door.


	3. The Guests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for reading this and thank you for the feedback! I truly enjoy writing this so I hope you are enjoying reading it. :) On with the chapter!

The days following the incident at the bar were uneventful and El tried to go on with life like normal. She honed her martial art skills at the local gym, raced Max around an abandoned field on their bikes, and met with her gang members a few times to fill them all in on what had transpired with one of Brenner’s rogue men. 

El had to admit, she felt bad for Mike. She didn’t know if her dad was alive or dead but at least for the past year she had hope. Mike was led to believe that his mother was gone, dead, taken from him from this cruel world. If she had known the blonde woman in the picture was his mother she would have told him sooner but how was she to know? The Lyra’s were independent, not interested in binding with another gang. Not to mention, Mike’s father, the former leader of the Draco’s, had visited her before retiring, making it abundantly clear to her that both gangs were to remain sworn enemies. El honestly hadn’t given a single fuck at the time, but thinking back on it, what if the Lyra’s and Draco’s had made a pact? Would it have been harder for Brenner to target their parents? There is always strength in numbers, and El had to admit, people respected and admired Mike. Not saying they didn’t feel the same way about her, but being allies from the beginning may have helped their current situation. 

El knew Mike had a tough upbringing, everyone knew, which was one of the reasons he was respected so much. His father was an abusive, power hungry, maniac, and Mike was thrown into the gang life from the ripe age of twelve. His mother tried to save her children from that path but Mike’s father was powerful and influential. He allowed his two “useless” daughters to hide away with Karen in another town but Mike had to stay behind. He was forced to drop out of school and begin his training of future Draco leader ASAP. When he was fourteen, his dad taught him what it was like to be a real “man.” When a drug deal went bad, Mike was the one who had to pull the trigger on the man who had low balled his father. Details never surfaced as to how everything went down that fateful day but El knew killing at such a young age would change anyone. 

Her life had been no walk in the park either. El’s birth mother died when she was five and her father was either drunk or not home. At age fourteen, she ran away when her father came home one day trying to pick a fight. She found rescue in an abandoned building (which was now the headquarters), and joined a small gang, the Sirens. The leader, a woman by the name of Kali, had taken her under her wing. She taught her how to fight, how to ride a motorbike, how to properly handle weapons, and the skills it took to run a gang. When El turned sixteen, she had a small following of her own and Kali wanted to move on to a bigger and better city. The Sirens made their way to New York and El stayed behind, officially starting the Lyra’s. 

A year later, at the age of seventeen, El ran into some trouble with local law enforcement. Up to that point, law enforcement stayed out of gang territory, but the new Chief wanted to crack down. She took it upon herself to go talk some sense into him. At first, he wasn’t having it, but eventually he gave up and they formed a bond. One night, the chief followed her home and found where she was living. Striking a truce, he offered her a place to stay in his tiny home. El, who was still under the age of eighteen, could stay leader of her gang as long as she helped Hopper take down any unwanted, outside gangs that were only there to cause problems. Once she was finally of legal age and out of risk of being put in foster care, El decided to stay with Hopper. He had become the father figure she never had.

Despite her “father” being chief of police, the Lyra’s grew in size and they were soon one of the top respected gangs in the area, aside from the Draco’s. Hopper actually became close with the members of the Lyra’s, particularly Max who had a shitty childhood as well. Everyone at the police station knew Hopper’s daughter was the notorious leader of a local gang but they eventually accepted it as well, knowing Hopper had his reasons. 

When Hopper was taken, all the Lyra’s were devastated. El and Max decided to move back into the headquarters, not being able to stay in the house without him. Everyone was dedicated to bringing him back and taking down the men who kidnapped him. The slow process was aggravating but they knew El wouldn’t give up until he was found and Brenner was dead. 

Pulling herself from her thoughts, El signed and made her way to The Upside Down. It had been a week since she found out about who Karen was and she had told the Draco’s to meet up with her to go over any new findings. Part of her was excited, she had seen Mike around town but they never stopped to talk to each other. She actually felt herself missing him, missing his teasing and the way he knew how to make her smile inside. She wouldn’t admit that out loud to him (or anyone actually) but there was no denying that she had started to fall for him the other night. She had always found him attractive, but actually hanging out with him and *cough* kissing him made her feelings grow deeper. Despite her growing feelings, she knew now wasn’t the time to act on them.  _ Doesn’t mean you can’t flirt...or kiss... _ a small voice whispered inside her head.

When she finally pulled up, the Draco’s and Max were already waiting outside for her. Although it wasn’t all the Draco’s, only Mike and Lucas had shown up. “Sorry, Will and Dustin had to do patrols tonight,” Mike said seeing her confusion. 

“That’s fine, you two will do,” El said putting her helmet back on but she noticed no one was moving and Max was shuffling her feet. “Was is it?”

“Well,” Max said finally looking up, “I told Lucas he can just ride with me so I figured Mike could just ride with you, you know, less cars coming and going from our secret spot.” 

Inside El was dying,  _ yes-yes- yesss he can hold me tight while I drive us-  _ but on the outside she simply nodded, “Sure, we have extra helmets in the bar.” She got up to go grab two but Mike grabbed her wrist. “We have some in the car, the Draco’s know how to ride too.”  _ Of course, how did I forget,  _ El secretly chastised herself. 

Mike and Lucas grabbed their helmets from the car and put them on. El’s heart stopped in her throat, Mike looked amazing in his biker’s helmet with his leather jacket on. She stood there shyly and finally Max cleared her throat. Lucas had already climbed on with her and they were ready to go. Mike and El laughed shyly and finally climbed onto her bike. 

“Alright, hold on asshole,” El said jokingly, bringing out a chuckle from Mike. “Whatever you say babe,” and with that El peeled out of the parking lot. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike found riding with El was exhilarating. She handled the bike like a pro and he found himself comparing his own skills to hers. She had obviously been riding for quite some time. He tightened his hold on her as she zig-zagged around traffic, laughing at how carefree she was in that moment. The night was a cold one, but not unbearable. The moon and the stars were peaking out around some lazy drifting clouds and the inky black sky seemed inviting as Mike stared up at it. If someone had told him a month ago that he would be riding on the back of El’s motorbike he would have laughed in their face. Now, despite the circumstances, he was glad fate had sent him in her path that night at the bar. 

Eventually, they slowed down and El was pulling into the familiar deserted parking lot. He climbed off first and offered out his hand for her to take. She hesitated at first but then he heard her say ‘fuck it _ ’ _ and she accepted his help getting off her bike. 

Max and Lucas were standing off to the side, bouncing on the heels of their feet ready to get out of the cold. They made the trek six buildings down and Mike heard the familiar hiss and beep as the metal door opened under El’s touch. 

Upon entering the building, Mike could hear the faint clacking of someone typing on the computer. It looked like one of the Lyra’s was already there and was pulling up information for their meeting. She had plugged the computer into a projector and chairs were already pulled together around the table. 

El and Max took a seat and gestured for Mike and Lucas to do the same. Once everyone was seated, El took a clicker from the girl who was still typing away on the computer. “Mike, Lucas, meet Robin. Hacking genius,” Max said with a smile. 

“Hey dinguses!” the girl named Robin said waving, not taking her eyes of the computer. 

“Um, hey back!” Mike and Lucas said awkwardly waving back at her even though she couldn’t see them. Max and El snorted behind them.

“Anyways, first thing before we get started, any new leads or anything suspicious you guys have heard?” El asked biting the end of her pen. 

“Nothing really…” Mike started, “except that race in a couple weeks isn’t just for fun, it’s for money as well. There is a $500 buy-in fee so only one of us should race. The Draco’s and I nominate myself, seeing as I’ve been riding and racing from the age of five.” 

El surprisingly didn't argue and just made a couple notes on the paper in front of her. “Fine by me, I already know I could kick your ass racing, no reason for me to destroy you in front of strangers,” she finished with a wink. “I think it’s only fair that we go half and half on the buy in fee. $250 each, sound fair?”

Mike and Lucas nodded in agreement and made a reminder on their phones to get the money. When they looked up El had started the projector and a picture of a man covered the wall. An uneasy feeling settled in Mike’s stomach and Lucas had an indistinguishable look on his face. Even El looked slightly pale as she spoke up, “This is Martin Brenner, the brains, if you could call it that, behind the operations. Keeps a low profile and this picture is actually a few years old that Erica found in a newspaper article. He was a government official in his younger years but his intense radicalism got him fired. Obviously, he went rogue and started the so called Department of Energy.” She glared at the picture, as if hoping she could kill him through a simple photo. 

The next few screens showed various faces of men they knew were working for Brenner. Some were dead but some were still very much alive. El kept clicking through them but one of the pictures caught Mike’s eye, “Wait! Go back one!” El clicked back one and Mike stood so suddenly he almost knocked the table over. 

“What is it Mike? Do you know him?” El asked hoping they had found another lead. 

“That asshole was the man who told me I couldn’t see my mother’s body! Said it was beyond recognition and that there was nothing left to identify!” 

“So you haven’t seen him sense?” Robin asked, having heard the commotion behind her, “Did you get a name?”

Mike sighed, “No, haven’t seen him but his name was Victor Burns, that’s all I know,” and he hung his head in defeat feeling like he lost them a lead. 

“Mike, that’s ok, a name could help Robin do some digging, see if he has left any trails. Robin, run his name through our database while I continue,” El said nodding at Robin. She then turned back to the projector and Mike took his seat again. 

“Brenner doesn’t stay in one place for long, he started in Hawkin’s to gather info on me and you Mike in order to kidnap our parents but then he left. He was in Chicago for a few months but suddenly packed up and moved to Atlanta. Once he left Atlanta we lost track of him.” El hit the table in frustration, “He knows not to stay put for too long, he knows the type of power we hold and knows we will be coming after him.” 

”So, besides being able to successfully kidnap your parents, is this guy dangerous? Does he have weapons? Is he trained to fight?” Lucas asked making notes of his own. 

El looked at Mike, as if seeing if his mental state was ok before answering the question. “He can’t fight but most of his men can. They only carry guns if they are up on the food chain, Brenner doesn’t arm the smaller fish, so to speak, which is why the man from the bar last week was unarmed, aside from a small vial in his pocket. Usually their targets are needed alive so they tranquilize them. I’m assuming that’s how Hopper and Karen got taken. No doubt they have been heavily drugged for the last year so that they don’t fight back...I’m sorry Mike,” El said looking genuinely concerned. 

Mike closed his eyes briefly but shook his head, “That’s why we are going to catch that son of a bitch and kill anyone who gets in the way.”

“Hell ya!” Lucas said fist bumping Mike, turning around to give the stink eye to El and Max. They rolled their eyes but joined in, fist bumping each other. 

“One last thing,” El said becoming serious again, “Mike....I know about your sisters and how they are in hiding.” Mike grunted in surprise, no one was supposed to know that. “Steve Harrington contacted me the other day, he’s afraid they may have been compromised, he isn’t sure how but he is worried.” 

“What the fuck! Why would he come to you with that information and not me!” Mike bursted out in anger and El gave him a moment to calm down. “He told me because he knew you would freak out, rightfully so, but at the time he needed someone with a clear head that could help him. I offered all three of them to stay here with Max and I.”

Lucas choked out in surprise, “Wait, you guys live here too? How did no one know that? Everyone knows where the Draco’s live.”

El sniggered, “Which is why I offered them to stay here. It’s safe and only a few people along with the Lyra’s know about it. It used to be where I lived with the Sirens before they moved away and Hopper let me stay with him. After he was taken though...Max and I came back here. There is plenty of room for them Mike, I can keep them safe and you can come by whenever to see them.”

Mike thought it over, he was upset that he wasn’t told directly by Steve, as his leader he should have gone to him first, but he was glad Steve had already found a solution. “Ya, I guess that could be ok, but my guys and I will be taking turns some nights to patrol the nearby area.” 

“Ok, as long as they don’t patrol to close, it would look suspicious and people would put two and two together and start scoping the area. Also, I’m glad you agreed, because it was kind of already decided, they will be arriving tomorrow night around midnight, we didn’t want to do it while it was light out. Before you ask, yes get here around 11:30 and you can help get them inside and tucked in,” and before Mike could argue any further El had turned to talk to Max.

As it got later, El and Max remembered they had to take Lucas and Mike back to the bar. They said their goodbyes to Robin and started the walk back to the cycles. They all wordlessly put their helmets on and climbed onto the bikes. On the drive back, Mike had a death grip on El. He hoped she could feel that he was hugging her, this was his way of saying thanks for keeping his sisters safe. Despite their so called gang feud she had gone out of her way to give them safety. He wasn’t the best when it came to speaking his emotions so he hoped this tight hug would help her understand. 

Quicker then Mike would have liked, they were at the bar and he was climbing off, getting ready to go to his car with Lucas. He turned to walk away but then stopped himself, facing El again, “Hey El, I just wanted to say thanks, so umm..thanks.” Mike couldn’t see her expression from under her helmet but she nodded her head and gently put her hand on his shoulder, “It will be ok Mike, I won’t let anyone hurt them,” and with that she and Max sped out of the parking lot, leaving him and Lucas in a cloud of dust. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

El found herself with little to do the next morning so she decided to spend it alone at the lake, getting some laps in. When she was younger and still part of the Sirens, she had less responsibilities and would come down here at least once a week. As she grew older and became a leader, her lake outings became sparse. She sometimes missed those days, when things just seemed easier. 

The thought of Mike’s sisters’ being transported that night put her even more on edge. Once they were at the headquarters they would be safe but the drive there could be dangerous. If Steve had nagging feelings they had been compromised they may run into some trouble tonight. Shoving her dooming thoughts away, she stripped down into her wet suit (it was too cold without it) and dived into the water. After completing a couple circuits she noticed someone was standing on the water’s edge. She self- consciously went to grab the knife she had strapped to her calf but stopped to shake the water off her face. Standing there was Mike, looking at her like she was crazy.

“Are you insane?! It’s freezing out! Do you just swim in sub arctic temperatures for fun??”

El laughed and made her way to the shore, pointing down at her wet suit. “Not insane and not cold, this keeps me pretty warm. What are you doing here anyways?”

As if contemplating if he wanted to tell her a big secret, Mike finally sat down on the sand, “I just like being by the water. It’s soothing. I don’t make it out here much anymore but it was needed this morning with what’s happening tonight.” 

El nodded in understanding, that was why she had come out here too, but she didn’t want him to think she didn’t have things under control, “Tonight will be fine, if anything happens I will personally handle it.”

“I don’t want you getting hurt either, El,” Mike said blushing, but El knew that was his way of showing he actually cared for her well being. 

“Stand up,”El said offering him her hand. He tentatively grabbed on and the next thing he knew he was lying flat on his back. El had just flipped him (someone his size no less) right over her shoulder. She put her foot on his chest for good measure and slowly bent over, her wet hair tickling his face, “I can handle myself,” she whispered in his ear, making him shiver. 

She shrieked in laughter noticing his reaction and he stood up huffing, dusting the sand off his back. “Ok, ok, I get that your strong and know martial arts and probably know how to handle multiple weapons but still, just be careful.” 

El felt butterflies fill her stomach at his concern, and she slowly stood on her tiptoes, kissing him tenderly on the cheek. “We will all be fine, I have to get going but I will see you tonight around 11:30, meet me in the parking lot. I don’t want to be hanging out too close to headquarters.” 

“Alright, ya, see you then El,” Mike answered back with a dopey grin. El giggled and hopped in her car, driving to the bar to do some business until it was time to get ready for tonight. 

Around 10pm El decided to head out, she wanted to make a quick stop at the headquarters to grab a few things before she met up with Mike. Using her handprint to unlock the door, she clambered inside and grabbed what she needed, another small knife and a gun just in case. She strapped one knife to one calf, the gun to the other calf, and hid a small switchblade in a holster in her arm sleeve. She pulled on dark jeans and put her favorite hoodie on. If someone did she the girls being dropped off by Steve she didn’t want them to easily see who she was. It would be easier if any bystanders thought it was a random person taking the girls in, not El Hopper, that would stir up a lot of unwanted problems. Pulling her hair up into a bun, she slipped the hood over her head and headed to where she was supposed to meet Mike. 

Once at the spot, she noticed Mike was already there, casually standing against his bike with a cigarette. “Well don’t you look sexy standing there all mysteriously,” she joked, trying to ease the fear that was thickening the air. Mike smiled and offered her to take a hit, “You know, I don’t smoke much anymore. Sometimes casually at the bar but usually it’s only when I’m stressed.”

Mike nodded in agreement, “Honestly, I’m not much of a smoker either, I hate the aftertaste and the smell it leaves behind, but it calms my nerves.” 

El didn’t respond but simply took another drag. Her phone suddenly began to ring and she looked at the caller ID, not recognizing the number. 

“This is El,” she said and her face turned to surprise, “Steve, what’s wrong? Good idea on getting a burner phone by the way.”

“El, someone found out, we are being followed!” Steve yelled frantically in her ear and Mike cussed from behind her. 

“Where are you? I will throw them off your trail,” El shouted over Steve’s nervous babbling. He quickly gave her his whereabouts and before she could fill Mike in she threw on her helmet and took off. Mike wanted to follow but it was too late, she was too far gone and he needed to be here when his sister’s arrived. 

El raced through the streets, pushing her bike to go as fast as it could. She effortlessly turned corners and finally she could see Steve’s car. Sure enough, a black car was following close behind them. Clamping down with one hand on her handlebars, she leaned over and grabbed her gun with her other hand. She swerved her bike quickly to the right and was able to fall side by side with the black car. Taking her chances and remembering her training (which was hard while still driving her bike) she aimed and shot at the driver’s window. Glass shattered over the road and El saw the driver suddenly slump over. The man in the passenger seat yelped and tried to take over the wheel but the car was going to fast and he was losing control. El took her chance and darted in front of them, causing the passenger to jerk the wheel. The car hit a lamp post and they flipped multiple times before coming to a stop in a nearby grassy field. 

El slowed her bike down and pulled over to where the car was laying. If the passenger was still alive she could try and question him, but she found him sprawled out across the grass about thirty feet from her. His neck was at an odd angle and El knew he was dead. Sighing, she kicked back onto her bike and took off towards headquarters. Steve and Mike’s sisters should have made it back by then but they couldn’t go inside until El was there to open the door. 

When she arrived at headquarters, Mike, who had been in conversation with Steve, looked up and bolted towards her once he saw her. “Oh my god, I was so worried! Steve said he couldn’t stop driving or look back so he wasn’t sure what had happened and we started to assume the worst when you didn’t show up right behind him. Thank you for getting them to me safely.” He kissed her cheek. “How many were there? Did any survive? Did they hurt you-?”

El gently grabbed his cheeks, “Calm down, it was one car, two guys, they are both dead though. I shot the driver and the passenger lost control when I darted in front of them. The car flipped into a ditch.” 

Mike let out a breathy laugh, “You are amazing you know that right?”

El was about to reply but a cough cut them off, “Ya this is all real cute and shit but we need to get inside like now,” Steve said bringing them back to reality.

Of course, they were still in the open, El chastised herself silently. She nodded her head and told them to follow her. Mike gave Holly a piggyback ride while Steve and Nancy fell close behind. They finally made it to the metal door and El quickly let them inside. Holly quickly threw herself on a couch with a dramatic sigh, “Man that was scary! El, that was so badass though! How you managed to handle the bike and aim your gun, I will never understand.”

El gave her a sweet smile and ruffled her hair, “Lots of training, and it wasn’t always fun believe me but it paid off, glad you guys are safe.” Nancy walked over and pulled El into a bone crushing hug, surprising her. “Seriously El, that was amazing, thank you. My brother is lucky to be dating someone like you.” 

Suddenly Mike coughed, like he had swallowed water down the wrong pipe and El felt herself turn multiple shades of red. “Oh, ummm, well we aren’t dating actually. Until about a week ago we were sworn enemies, you know, being leaders of separate gangs and what not.” Nancy simply cocked her eyebrow, obviously not understanding. “According to your lovely father, Ted whatever your guys’ last name is, the Draco’s are lone wolves and don’t need the help of outside gangs. Especially influential ones that happen to be run by a woman. He made that abundantly clear many years ago. From then on, even after Mike took over, we have been enemies.”

Nancy turned on Mike, “What the hell Mike, I expect our asshole dad to do something like that but you? That’s not like you! The Draco’s are fools to not join ranks with the Lyra’s, especially with El in charge.” Mike grimaced and put his hands up in defeat. “To be fair Nance I had no idea dad said that, I thought El wanted nothing to do with us so naturally I took it as competition. Despite that, I’ve never hated El, quite the opposite actually. I admire her and think she is fucking badass too.” 

El felt her blood sing and her brain swoon,  _ so he doesn’t hate me?  _ The revelation sent warmth throughout her body and everything began to tingle. She went to tell Mike it was ok, they could continue to work together even after their parents were found, but Nancy wasn’t done with him. “Well you should have grown some damn balls and talked to her. She deserves an apology after everything she just risked for our family tonight. Not to mention letting us hide out in her own personal place.” Nancy smirked at the look of distress on Mike’s face, everyone knew he wasn’t one for apologies, it almost caused him physical pain to admit he was wrong, but Nancy was right. 

El decided to let him out of his misery, “You don’t have to say it Mike, those are just words anyways. Help me get my dad back and all will be good.” Nancy, who had gone to get some water, dropped the glass on the floor when she overheard El say the last bit, “Wait, your dad is missing, since when?”

Mike visibly slumped his shoulders, El knew he wasn’t looking forward to this conversation but Nancy and Holly deserved to know what was going on, it could be connected to the people who were following them tonight. It could contribute to how their hiding spot with Steve was compromised. Mike didn’t have a choice, so she gave them some space while he went over all the details; how Hopper was taken, how their mother was actually kidnapped and may still be alive, how the Draco’s and Lyra’s were working on taking Brenner and his men down. 

Nancy had paled but was staying strong while Holly silently cried, asking if it was true that their mother may still be alive. Mike nodded and turned to Nancy, waiting for her to say something. “I want to help, I can help, I taught myself how to shoot a gun, I have a great shot.” Mike was about to argue but he wasn’t in charge of her, she was free to do whatever she wanted. “Fine Nance, but it will be dangerous…” Nancy scoffed and chose to ignore him, “I know Mike, and believe me I will never understand what you went through having to live with dad, but you aren’t alone anymore.” Mike’s eyes misted over and he quickly wiped at them, making El silently laugh,  _ always trying to look like the tough guy.  _

“It’s late guys, I will show you to your rooms, it’s not much but it will do for now,” El said helping them grab their luggage. She showed Holly to her room first then escorted Nancy and Steve to the room they would be sharing. “It’s my old room, hope you don’t mind.”

“El, we can’t take your room, where will you sleep?” Nancy started in protest but El waved her down. “Don’t worry about me, I will be downstairs if you need me, goodnight,” and with that she headed back down. 

She saw Mike awkwardly standing around, not sure what to do now that it was just the two of them. “You are welcomed to stay, I call the comfy couch though so you will have to take the lumpy one,” El said playfully shoving his shoulder. His face broke into a huge smile but he greatly took the blankets she set aside. 

“I’m going to use the bathroom first but when I’m done it’s all yours, make yourself at home.” Thirty minutes later and El walked out, hair wet and face scrubbed free of any makeup. She looked up just in time to see Mike’s mouth wide open. “Wow, you, you uh-, you look beautiful. I mean you always do! But without makeup too. Heh,” and he nervously raked his fingers through his hair. El laughed and Mike grinned back sheepishly, “Right, ok, be right back,” and he swiftly went into the bathroom closing the door. 

El grabbed her own blankets and finally laid down on the couch, the events of the day taking a toll on her and her eyes began to droop heavily. She heard a soft “Goodnight El,” five minutes later and a soft kiss pressed to hear forehead, and then she was out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will probably be about the race, not sure though we will see where the chapter takes me. I always have a rough outline but once I get going some things change haha.
> 
> Leave a kudos or a comment if you are enjoying the story and thanks again. :)


	4. The Race

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! New chapter! Let me know what you think :)

Mike woke with a start around 3am, sweat drenching his hair. He had  _ the  _ dream again, the one that had been plaguing him all year. He could still hear his mother calling out to him, begging for him to help her. Like always, it was pitch black in his dream and he could never figure out how to find his mom and rescue her. The panic in her voice always seemed so real and he usually woke up from this dream in tears. 

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and peeked over at El to see she was still peacefully asleep, a soft snore rumbling from her parted lips.  _ She looks so ethereal when she sleeps, hope her dreams are better than mine.  _ He grabbed his phone for light and slowly made his way to the kitchen, hoping he wouldn’t trip over anything. Luckily, he made it to the kitchen without any qualms and poured himself a glass of milk. He chugged it in a few gulps, turned to rinse the glass, and was about to go back to the couch when he ran smack into someone. “Shit! Sorry Mike I was just coming to see if you were…” but El didn’t finish the sentence. 

“What? What’s wrong? Is it the milk? I can pay you back,” Mike began to ramble but El still didn’t say anything, her cheeks a deep crimson color. Finally, it dawned on Mike, she was checking him out! He always slept shirtless and El had never seen him like this. Years of working out was paying off. 

“Like what you see princess?” Mike said, a cocky grin on his face. “You know, all you have to do is ask.” 

That snapped El out of it and she shoved his shoulder, “Don’t be a perv!” but she was the color of tomato and she was smiling ear to ear. “Seriously, are you ok? Or do you just enjoy milk at 3am every morning?”

Mike groaned and leaned on the counter, putting his head in his hands. “Just a nightmare, I have it all the time now. For the past year anyways.” El didn’t need to ask what it was about, given the timeline she could piece two and two together. Feeling sleepy and giddy from him being half naked, she slowly walked towards him and slipped her arms around his waist, pulling him in tight. 

Mike felt himself relax and he buried his head into her hair, breathing in the scent of honey and coconut. She was warm and soft and he felt himself never wanting to leave her cocoon of kindness. “After the way I’ve treated you El...why are you helping me so much?” 

He felt El shrug her shoulders, but he kept his face buried in her hair. “It’s just the way I am. It’s the way the Lyra’s are too, help people in need. Plus, you are nice to stare at,” she said all serious, and then broke into a fit of giggles, causing Mike to join in but it soon turned into a grimace. “God, you are something else, I’m sorry I didn’t try to make amends with you sooner, my dad is such a dick.” El didn’t respond and simply pulled him in for another hug, conveying that it was ok, they could work things out. 

“Let’s go back to sleep, we have a long road ahead of us. Tomorrow, I think we should gather all the Lyra’s to the Draco’s. We will, of course, still be seperate gangs, but no point in not being allies,” and with that she led Mike back to the living room, holding his hand the entire way. 

Mike woke around 8am the next morning, the couch next to him already vacant. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he swung his legs over the side of the couch and made his way to the kitchen. El was the only one awake so far, and she was already dressed and ready to go for the day. 

“Hey,” Mike said walking over and gently squeezing her shoulder, “Why are you up and all ready to go? It’s only 8am.” 

El, who was openly and unashamedly ogling his bare chest, tore her eyes away and looked him in the eye. “Well, considering I caused a car accident last night I need to go make sure the flipped car and bodies aren’t still there. Knowing Brenner, he would have cleaned the mess up by now but you never know,” she sighed, throwing back the rest of her coffee. 

“Give me like twenty minutes and I will go with you,” Mike said hurriedly, turning to head towards the bathroom. He could tell she was going to argue but thought better of it and went to get another cup of coffee instead. 

True to his word, Mike was ready to go twenty minutes later. “Oh, El!! Can I pleassseee drive your Lotus?!” he asked as he hopped up and down like a three year old. 

El rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at his antics as she threw him the keys. “Sure, go for it. I left Steve, Nancy, and Holly a note on the counter so they know where we went and to help themselves to any of the food-” but Mike was barely listening, already bounding out the door and towards her car. 

They made casual conversation as they drove to the site of the wreck and once they arrived they decided to park off to the side as to not look suspicious parking a car right in front of the scene. As they walked closer they could already tell that nothing would be there. The grassy field below was empty, no flipped car, and no dead bodies. Brenner had already taken care of it so that no evidence would be left behind. 

“Let’s go closer, see if they somehow left anything behind or if something fell in the grass or bushes when they flipped,” El said already walking down the steep hill. 

Mike felt uneasy, they were now sitting ducks in what was a crime scene. What if Brenner was expecting them to come back and scope the area? He didn’t have much time to contemplate, El was already almost at the bottom of the hill and he didn’t want her down there alone so he hastily jogged to the bottom. 

They combed the area for about ten minutes when El finally called it quits. “Brenner’s men are trained well, there aren’t even marks from where the car slid down the grass. Let’s just head back.” 

“First one to the car gets to drive back!” Mike yelled, already sprinting away. 

“Hey!” El yelled, taking off after him, “that’s cheating-” but her friendly banter was cut short when she found Mike being held down by Troy, a knife to his throat. 

“Troy! What the fuck!!” El spat angrily, “Let him go or I swear you will regret it.”

“Tsk, tsk, such a potty mouth for a beautiful lady. Sorry, no can do princess.” 

Ice slid through El’s veins, it was annoying but cute when Mike called her that, when Troy did it was just plain creepy. 

“What do you want Troy?” El finally asked. Her gun was in her left boot, she just had to grab for it when Troy was distracted or he might knee- jerk react and hurt Mike. 

“You two have a nice bounty on your heads. Just have to kill you and bring the boss the evidence,” Troy said sneering in excitement, “If lover boy here wasn’t so distracted with you and this car maybe he would have seen me hiding by the driver’s door.” 

Mike, who had been keeping eye contact with El the entire time, was trying to figure out what her next play was. It didn’t look like she had any weapons on her and she could always fight but it would be hard to execute when Troy was being careless with a knife. For now, he could tell she was simply trying to keep him talking in order to distract him.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught El slyly scratch her left leg with her right. It was a subtle sign, but he was pretty sure it was her way of saying she had something hidden there. Troy, who was droning on about God knows what, didn’t notice or care when she scratched her leg. 

Ten seconds later he took his chance, shoving his elbow painfully into Troy’s rib. Troy momentarily lowered the knife, shouting in pain but quickly recovered and pulled it against Mike once again. The sound of a gun cocking filled the air and Mike looked up to see El pointing it right at Troy’s head. 

“Lower the fucking knife or I will kill you,” El said hotly, not loosening her stance or hold on the gun. 

“Ya, not going to happen-” and before Troy could plunge the knife into Mike, El pulled the trigger and Troy crumbled to the ground, clutching the new wound in his leg.

“God, what an idiot,” El said strapping the gun back into her boot. 

Suddenly Mike ran over to her, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her full on the mouth. Unlike their first kiss, which was a result of a bet, this kiss was slow and tender, unhurried. Butterflies ignited in Mike’s stomach and his heart pounded dangerously fast in his chest. El responded with enthusiasm, small whimpers muffled by their lips. Their kisses soon turned heated and El began to push Mike up against the hood of the car, simply stepping over a groaning Troy. Laughter rumbled in Mike’s chest and he slowly drew the kiss to a close, “El, we are in the middle of the road, as hot as that sounds I’d rather not be surprised by any more bounty hunters because we are making out here like sitting ducks.” 

El grunted in frustration but finally agreed, pulling herself off of Mike, “Just leave Troy here. My dad and I have been trying for years to get rid of him, he just never did anything illegal to my face so I didn’t have any reason to retaliate. If his cronies care enough they will find him, if not, he will probably die from blood loss.” 

She walked over to the passenger seat and chucked Mike the keys, ”Even though you cheated you can drive us back. All you had to do was ask,” she said with a chuckle. “I can drive this car whenever I want anyways. Also, when we get back to headquarters I will need to clean that wound.” 

Mike instinctively touched his neck, his fingers coming away coated with some blood. “Oh, he must have nicked me. So, do you normally walk around armed?” Mike asked out of curiosity. 

El shrugged, “I also have two knives. You never know what can happen. Aren’t you armed?”

Mike shook his head, “Not on my body, I have some weapons on my bike and in my car though.” 

“Well, with a bounty on your head you may want to re-think that.”

“Right, what do you want to do about that...about having a bounty on our heads?” Mike asked 

hesitantly. 

“Honestly, it was only a matter of time. Brenner doesn’t want us catching on to him so he will do whatever necessary to keep us out of the picture. I do think you should temporarily move into headquarters. It will be easier to hide there and I’m sure you will feel better being closer to your sisters.”

Mike smiled and grabbed her hand, “That would make me feel loads better, thank you El. I will grab some things tonight from my place before we assemble both gangs.” 

When they made it back to headquarters, Nancy got one look at Mike’s neck and immediately bombarded them with questions. El calmed her down as she cleaned the wound, and went over everything that had happened that morning. 

“You guys should never go anywhere alone then, not for the time being. Either go with each other or have one of your members go with you,” Nancy chided them, leaving no room for argument. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed you guys are holding hands!”

Mike and El flushed in embarrassment, quickly dropping each others hand. “Right um, I need to meet up with Lucas, Will, and Dustin, but I will see you tonight at the bar.” Mike launched himself out the front door, leaving a very amused looking El behind. 

The night went by simply enough, the Lyra’s and Draco’s getting along exceptionally well. Lucas and Max were excited because now they didn’t have to hide their relationship anymore. 

Both gangs had agreed, neither El or Mike should be doing things alone with a bounty on their heads, and they all stepped up to the plate, making sure they knew they were not in this alone. 

After a couple rounds of drinks, everyone was feeling good. Dustin, Lucas, and Will even pulled El into a big hug, telling her how badass and scary they had always found her to be. Mike rolled his eyes at them but found himself joining in on the hug until Max, Robin, and Erica made themselves part of it as well, and then it got too tight so he pulled himself away laughing. 

The kiss he and El shared earlier was never brought up that night, but something had shifted between them, something that both excited and scared Mike. He knew he and El would have to talk about it at some point, but for now he was going to relax and enjoy the evening with his new found friends. 

\---

The weeks leading up to the race went by without any real drama. No new bounty hunters had tried to take their prize and not a single peep was heard from Brenner or his men. El knew he was trying to stay under the radar, but it was only a matter of time before he tried something new to kill her or Mike. 

As for the Mike situation, El was unsure of what to do. They hadn’t kissed again or  _ even talked  _ about the last kiss but the tension between them was building. It was obvious they liked each other and El was tired of Max telling her to “Take life by the horns and ride him!” She knew she needed to do something, Mike was too much of a gentleman and a scaredy cat to make the next move.

On the day of the race, everyone met up early at the headquarters to go over the game plan. “Alright, Mike,” Dustin said to grab everyone’s attention, “Your job is to win the races, obviously. Not only will we win the money but we all know Billy will want to come over to talk some shit. That will be our opportunity to question him and see if anything sketchy is going on. El, your job is to keep an eye on the competition during the race, keep tabs on top riders, strengths and weaknesses that could help Mike win in later rounds.” El nodded in understanding. “As for everyone else, be on the lookout for anyone who looks out of the ordinary. I doubt Brenner would send anyone tonight but you never know.” Everyone else nodded their heads in agreement. “Ok people, let’s do this! 

The once abandoned tracks were now swarming with people and full of life. The main event was the race but people also brought their muscle cars to show off. Music was blasting from the back of people’s cars and a worn down food truck was even set up if people got hungry and wanted booze. Gangs from all over the state poured in, and El felt herself surprised at just how many people would be racing. She looked over at Mike, to see if he was getting nervous, but his face was blank and emotionless. 

Everyone checked in, paid the $500 for Mike to race and made their way over to a small patch of dirt where they could easily see the race and the people who attended to watch. Without saying a word, Mike turned from the group and began to tinker with different parts of his bike. 

“Is he ok?” El asked, having never seen Mike looking so...brooding. 

“Oh yeah,” Lucas said shaking his head, “He is like this before any race. Always gets in his own head even though he has never lost a single racing competition in his life. I think he also knows how important it is to win tonight, not just for pride, but to get to Billy.” 

El nodded, contemplating if she should go over and say something or wait until after the race. Before she could get stuck in her own head, she walked up to Mike, yanked him by his jacket, and brought his warm lips down to hers. 

Wolf whistles and “About time!” sounded behind them but El didn’t care. She sighed, threading her fingers through his hair before she pulled him in for another kiss. Lungs burning, she finally broke away and rested her forehead against his. “You got this Mike, we all know you can do it, you are badass on a bike and no one here can even compare to you.” 

“I’m sure you could,” Mike answered cheekily.

“Well it’s a good thing I’m not racing then,” El snarked back, nuzzling her nose against his. 

Mike laughed and then finally pulled away, placing his helmet on his head. “See you at the finish line,” and he walked away with a small wave to the rest of the group. 

El, who was still a little dizzy from the kiss, made her way to her spot with a goofy grin on her face. Max walked up to her with a shit eating grin on her face and she heard Dustin make a noise that sounded like a purr? “Oh, shut up you guys,” she hissed at them, trying to ignore her blazing cheeks but deep down she couldn’t be happier. 

“Racers! Take your mark and get set!” The group of friends quickly shut up and turned their focus to the race, zeroing in on Mike. 

“Which one is Billy?” Lucas asked, whispering as if he was afraid of being overhead. 

“The one next to Mike, he has that weird demogorgon design on his jacket, to represent his useless gang,” Max answered, fire blazing in her eyes, “Let’s just hope its a clean race. Knowing Billy he will do anything to win and knock people out. Chances are he paid off some of the racers to sabotage Mike.” 

El sucked in a nervous breath, she knew this of course, coming to the race. Billy was never one to play nice so why would he start tonight? “Mike can handle it,” Will and El said in unison and the rest of the group nodded in agreement. 

An air horn sounded behind them and the racers were off. Mike, who was already in the lead, had three people on his tail. It seemed Max was right, some of the racers were simply there to sabotage him. Sensing this, Mike sped up and took a sharp right turn, causing two of the racers trailing him to crash into each other, leaving the third one hot on his tail. El watched in awe as he began to quickly zigzag, confusing the rider behind him. Mike took his chance, slowing down his bike to the rider’s speed and quickly knocked into him. Before the perpetrator could react, his hands slipped off the handlebars and his bike crashed into the dirt, Mike speeding off and leaving him in the dust. 

“Yes!!! Now he just has to pass Billy, everyone else sucks!” Dustin yelled, waving his hands in excitement. And he was right, Mike skillfully passed everyone else, easily catching up with Billy as they neared the finish line. 

Mike suddenly jerked his handlebars, trying to psyche out Billy and amazingly it worked. Panicking, Billy jerked his bike to the right, and skidded of the course. Mike clamped down on the throttle and passed the finish line with a whoop! El and the rest of the group cheered, instantly running over to swarm him. 

Will reached him first, “That was amazing man! You should have seen Billy’s face! Win the next race and it won’t even have to go to best of three!” Mike smiled as everyone patted him on the back, offering their congratulations. El reached him last, hastily yanking of his helmet and pulling him into another searing kiss. 

“Ugh gross! We are right here guys!” Dustin yelled trying to ruin the moment, but El merely flipped him off and deepened the kiss, jumping up and wrapping her legs around Mike’s waist. Everyone grumbled their annoyance but decided to walk away to give them some privacy. 

Mike finally broke this kiss, laughing, “Is this what I get everytime I win a race?” El giggled and shyly bit down on the pink ,soft flesh of her lips, “Win the whole thing tonight and you may get more,” and she winked for good measure. 

Mike groaned, resting his forehead against hers, “Don’t tease me woman I have another race to win in five minutes!”

“Not a tease if I follow through, yeah?” El answered cheekily, hopping down off his waist. Mike merely rolled his eyes, “What am I going to do with you?” El was about to retort with exactly what he could do but the group had made their way back over. 

“Mike, I know this doesn’t really need to be said but be careful out there, Billy is angry now and he will do anything to get back at you,” Max informed him in all seriousness. 

Mike sighed and gripped El’s hand, “Ya I know. I won’t be able to trick him like last round. I wouldn’t have even fallen behind if that asshole hadn’t set three people on me. What a dick. Alright, I’m going to line back up, see you guys soon,” and with that he gave El a quick kiss, pulled on his helmet, and made his way back to the starting line again. 

A few minutes later the air horn sounded and Mike was off once again. 

\---

Adrenaline pounded through Mike’s veins. The high of winning the first race and making out with El carried him through the first half of the second race. Nothing could bring him down, racing and winning was in his blood. Luckily, no one had trailed him and tried to sabotage him this time around.  _ Bet Billy learned his lesson, those guys were too easy to pick off.  _ Deep down Mike was beginning to worry though, it was almost  _ too  _ easy. No point in worrying about it now.

Finally, he could see the finish line in sight. This was it, all he had to do was cross the line, winning the race. They would get the money and no doubt Billy would come around to talk shit, giving them the opportunity to question him. 

Mike saw something flash by him out of the corner of his eye, but he had no time to react, one of Billy’s gang members had jumped out in front of him. Instinctively, he pumped the brakes and jerked the wheels, nearly colliding with the asshole who jumped on the tracks. The sudden jerking movement sent him tumbling over the handlebars, a distinctive cracking noise filling the air. Mike yelled out in pain, Billy racing by cackling as he crossed the finish line. 

El was by his side in seconds. “Oh my God, Mike! Are you ok?!” She pulled his helmet off and began dusting him off. She stopped, looking at the awkward angle of his right arm that he was cradling in his lap. “Your arm…I’m going to fucking kill him!!” As she started to get up Mike pulled her back down gently with his good arm. “No, El, stick to the plan. We confront him after the race.” 

El was seething, but she finally gave in. “Fine, but then I’m kicking his ass.” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Mike chuckled, “Thanks babe, you can do whatever you want to him after we talk to him.”

“Mike! You ok man?! Holy shit your arm!” Dustin yelled, pointing out the obvious. 

Lucas smacked him, “No shit Sherlock. Mike, that’s definitely broken, how are you going to do the last race?”

“I’m not...El is.”

\---

El stiffened, “Are you sure Mike…I didn’t even bring my bike tonight. I always have a spare helmet in the car but I’m used to riding my bike and my bike only.”

Mike grabbed her hand, “El, if anyone can do this it’s you. My bike is just like yours, you can do this.” He rubbed reassuring circles on her palm and she exhaled, relaxing instantly, nodding her head. 

“Max, go grab my helmet and meet me by the start line.” Max grabbed the keys and was off in seconds. “Will, Dustin, take Mike to where we were standing, try to wrap his arm up,  _ gently.” _

They nodded, pulling Mike to his feet. She gave him a quick kiss and then he was hauled away. “Lucas, I need you to help me look at the bike, make sure nothing is broken. I have only five minutes until the next race starts.” Together, they lifted up the bike and carried it off to start line. 

“Alright El, bike looks good, you are good to go, good luck out there, kick some ass!!” Lucas said, handing her the helmet Max had dropped off. He patted her on the shoulder and took off to stand on the sidelines with the rest of the group. 

El mounted Mike’s bike, quickly familiarizing herself with the feel of it. She heard a low wolf whistle behind her, “Looking good tonight, aren’t we?” Billy cooed at her. El gritted her teeth,  _ not now, just ignore him and win the race.  _ “Your boyfriend too banged up to finish the race? What a shame. Well, see you on the other side.” Billy continued, flicking his cigarette on the ground. He smirked one last time and pulled on his helmet, mounting his bike.

The air horn blasted into the air and El was off. Anger fueled her adrenaline and she focused solely on the road ahead of her and Billy who was to her right. She had an advantage, Billy had never seen her race before, he had no idea how good she actually was. She planned to work that to her advantage. 

Billy was testing her skills, she knew that, so she let him have his fun for awhile. He would zigzag in front of her, and she would slow down ever so slightly, making him think he was making her uncomfortable. He would speed up and take corners sharply, while she would slow down and take them at a decent speed. Over the roar of their bikes she could hear him laughing. “Not so great on a bike, are you sweetheart?” El smirked, oh if only he knew. 

Their little game continued for most of the race, Billy would do some crazy move and El would pretend to back off. The final bend in the track was coming up and El got ready to make her move. It would be extremely risky, but she knew she could pull it off. Taking a deep breath in, she gassed her bike and quickly caught up to Billy. He looked over in shock, “Joke’s on you, you fucking asshole!” El screamed at him. Billy went to cut her off but she was too quick, they were at the bend. She jerked her bike to the right, turning the corner so tight the side of her boot skimmed the dirt. She quickly gained control of her bike, jutted out her leg, kicking Billy in surprise and he toppled over. Moments later El made her way over the finish line. 

Her friends descended on her in seconds, lifting her up into the air. “El, you did it girl! You kicked his ass!” Max yelled jumping up and down. “Ya! You showed his demodog ass who’s boss!” Dustin joined in. El laughed, enjoying the praise, but what she really wanted was Mike. 

Her friends cleared a path and he slowly made his way up to her, a huge smile painted his face. He held his arms open (one of them wrapped up nicely), and El threw herself into his chest. Mike chuckled and placed a big kiss on the top of her hair, “I knew you could do it. Brilliant tactic too, making him think you were new to riding, he must have been so shocked when you barrelled past him at the end!” He pulled her in tighter, dropping his lips to her ear, “So, technically we won, do I get my prize tonight?” he asked huskily. El cocked her head, heat pooling in her lower stomach, “How do you plan to do anything with a broken arm?” she challenged. Mike’s eyes darkened with lust, desire churning inside him due to their playful but serious banter, “I’m sure we can figure it out.” 

Lost in their bubble of bliss, neither of them registered Billy walking up behind them. He wound his arm up, about to punch Mike in the bad arm, but El’s eye caught his movement at the last second. She shoved Mike to the side and grabbed Billy’s arm, flipping him over her shoulder and onto his back. She dropped to her knees and punched him once, twice, three times in the mouth. She leaned over, shoving her elbow near his throat, “Give me one good fucking reason why I shouldn’t end your sorry ass right now.” 

Billy laughed, spitting blood onto the dirt beside him, “Because you lot are here for a reason, and I know you want answers that only I can give.” 

El tightened her hold on him, “What do you have to do with the kidnapping of my dad and Mike’s mom?”

Billy snickered, “Wouldn’t you like to know? I bet your also wondering how Brenner knew about Mike’s sister being moved to a safe place? Now that I can tell you, it was simple really, one of my buddies bugged your phone while you were busy one night at the bar, and we overheard you tell Mikey boy over there they were being moved. There’s only one road into Hawkins so Brenner’s men waited, saw them drive by, and then the rest is history. Pity what happened, I was really hoping to see Mike over there suffer some more, thinking his sisters were dead.” 

Behind her, Mike let our a string of cuss words, but stayed back, knowing El had it under control. El snarled, “Tell me where our parents are or I will kill you here.” 

Billy sighed, the lack of oxygen from El’s tight choke hold getting to his brain, “I don’t know. I just give them insider information for money. What he does with the information I provide is up to him. I’ve never actually met Brenner, it's always someone new.” 

“You’re lying!” El yelled, punching him in the face again. 

“I swear! I don’t know anything!” Billy looked up at El in fear, knowing she had no qualms killing him. “I do know this, you need to hurry, all I know is they are taking someone named Byers next.” 

  
El gasped, quickly standing up off Billy (who took his chance and ran). “Fuck, Will! Your mom!” But it was too late, El’s body turned ice cold as she looked at the picture Will had just received via text message. It was a picture of his mom, Joyce, passed out with a gash across her face. A new message immediately flashed below the picture,  _ Surrender yourselves and your gangs to me or she’s dead. You have one week. _


	5. The Watch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all the feedback! I love it! :) This is a shorter chapter, but don't worry the next ones will be longer, plans will be made and executed! As always, any feedback is appreciated!

Mike and El paced around the headquarters, a million different thoughts swirling in their minds. After they all took turns reading the text, and a quick trip to the ER to get Mike’s arm wrapped up, they all headed back to headquarters to regroup. No one had spoken a word and the silence was deafening. 

“Will, El and I, along with both our gangs, swear to you, we will get all our parents back!” Mike told Will, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. “How can you be so sure?” Will squeaked out, “Maybe we should just surrender?”

El sighed, “Believe me Will, the thought has crossed my mind many times. As I’m sure it has with Mike as well. Brenner is a fucking maniac though, if we surrender he will continually want more. Or, we surrender and he kills our parents anyways. We can’t be too sure. Our best option is to stop him for good.” 

Mike nodded, “Ya man, we ultimately need to eliminate the threat. We don’t want to be looking over our shoulders all our lives.” 

Will slowly exhaled in defeat, “You guys are right...I guess it’s also safe to assume I have a bounty on my head as well.”

“Will, you are more than welcome to stay here with Mike, his sisters, Steve, and I. It will be cramped but you will be safe,” El offered. 

Will gave her a small smile, “Thanks El, but Dustin and Lucas already offered. I will keep your offer in mind though. If you all don’t mind, it’s been a shitty night I think we are going to head home. We will be back tomorrow to start planning how we are going to find them.” 

“Ya man of course, get some sleep,” Mike told him, walking him to the door. El leaned over and gave him a hug, “It will be ok Will, keep each other safe,” she added nodding at Lucas and Dustin. 

After the guys left (along with Max who wanted to be with Lucas), Mike and El collapsed on the couch with a heavy sigh. 

“How’s your arm?” El asked wanting to change the subject for the night. 

Mike gave a fake pout, “Hurts like hell, I think you should kiss me, you know to release endorphins and take my mind off the pain.” El snorted loudly, “Such a baby, if it really does hurt they gave you mild pain medicine for a reason.” 

“Maybe I just want you to kiss me…” Mike said, barely a whisper, and he was already leaning in. El laughed and shook her head, but met him halfway. Mike sighed in content, his breath mingling together with hers. He slowly winded his fingers in her hair, caressing the soft strands. El softly grasped his cheeks, stroking his cheek bones. 

A few minutes of lazy kisses passed and Mike finally broke apart, “El, I was wondering...if-if you, uh, wanted to be my girlfriend?”

El pretended to contemplate it, smirking at his nervousness and how squirmy he was getting. “Lyra’s don’t really do relationships, it’s more of a hit it and quit it.”

“Oh...forget I said anything…”

“Mike, I was kidding! Do you really think I’m like that? Of course I will be your girlfriend, I...I really like you,” El said shyly, looking down at the floor.

Mike coaxed her chin up with his hand, a huge smile painted on his face, “Good, because I really like you.” 

There wasn’t any talking for the next fifteen minutes but El noticed when Mike started to grimace. “That’s it, I’m forcing you to take some pain meds.” She left to grab the meds and a glass of water before Mike could argue. She handed them both over to him and he took it reluctantly, groaning in annoyance. “Ugh, this will knock me out.” 

El gave him the ‘that’s kind of the point face’ and he laughed, pulling her onto his lap to cuddle. “Mike! You should be resting your arm not using it!” she squealed, trying to escape his grasp but that only made him hold on tighter. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, skimming it down her neck making her shiver. 

El shook her head, gently pushing him away, “As much as I want to do things with you tonight, and believe me I do, we should both get some rest. The next week is going to be a nightmare.”

Mike let out a mock frustrated breath, “Fine, but that nice couch you use is big enough for both of us. Share so I don’t have to use this lumpy one?” he asked batting his eyelashes. 

El threw a pillow at his face, “I guess that’s ok, get over here, Mr. Dramatic.” 

Mike lit up like a Christmas tree, making his way to her couch. He laid against the back of the couch, pulling her close. With a quick peck, he snuggled in,“Mmm… that’s better...goodnight El.” “Goodnight Mike, sweet dreams.”

\---

“OH MY GOD!!! Is this like, official now?!” El heard being screeched in her ear. She covered her ears and rolled over into Mike’s warm chest with a groan. “Too early, go away…” she tried to mumble but she was soon being shaken awake by none other than Holly. 

“El!! When you marry my brother can I be a bridesmaid please?!”

“Holly, holy shit calm down already. We just got together officially yesterday,” Mike answered, trying to appease his sister. 

“Don’t be a buzzkill! I’m so excited! Nancy and I thought you would be single and lonely forever...I have to go tell her and Steve!” and with that she ran back up the stairs. 

“Wow, I’m so glad my sisters had such faith in my dating and personal life,” Mike mumbled sarcastically. 

“Hmm…” El said into his chest, “You’ll never be lonely again.”

“Ya?” he asked in surprise and El nodded, “Of course, I wouldn’t waste my time being your girlfriend if I didn’t want something serious.” 

Mike beamed, “Good. Around the gang you can’t make me sound so love sick though, I still have to be the badass leader,” and he winked. 

“Fine by me,” El said laughing as she rolled over to get up, “I still have to be the badass leader of the Lyra’s. Come on, let’s get up and get ready. The others will be here soon and we only have six days now…”

Twenty minutes later they were greeted by an insistent pounding on the door. “Mike, El! Let me in, it’s important!” Will yelled as he banged on the door some more. 

Mike and El shared a quick frantic look before bustling to open the door. “Will! What’s wrong? Is someone hurt?!” Mike spewed out but Will was already shaking his head no. Unlike the night before, his face was no longer pale and pink splotches covered his cheeks, a frantic spark in his eyes. He pulled off his watch and handed it to El, “This is it! This is how we find my mom!”

El looked at the watch in confusion, Mike sharing the same look, his eyebrows pinched on his forehead. Suddenly El gasped, “Holy shit, Will! Does this have a tracking device in it?” Will frantically shook his head yes. “So that must mean your mom has one too!” she finished excitedly, already running over to the computer.

Will and Mike were by her side in seconds, “Yes she has one too! After you and Mike, you know, lost your parents and they started targeting gangs, she insisted we get them,” Will said in a rush. 

El’s hands were trembling, barely able to contain her excitement, but she finally managed to get the watch plugged in. Immediately, a map came onto the screen, a blinking green dot showing them Will’s location. She began mumbling to herself, typing out codes on the screen. A couple minutes passed and Will became antsy, “Can you track her El??”

El signed in frustration, “Yes, sorry, your mom put some safety measures in place, I have to code to get around them, I’m trying.” Mike squeezed her shoulder and placed a small kiss on her head, “Relax, you can do this babe I know you can.” She leaned back in her chair, took a deep breath, and got back to work. 

Ten minutes later and an “Ah-ha!” sounded through the air. Will and Mike ran back over to El and looked over her shoulder, staring at the map. In the top right corner of the screen was a red blinking dot. “Found her! Looks like an abandoned warehouse in Illinois, they aren’t far at all. I bet Brenner thought we would assume he had taken them somewhere far away, stupid bastard!” El said laughing. 

Will gripped his hair in excitement, leaning over to smack a big kiss on El’s cheek. “Hey, watch it pal, that’s my girlfriend,” Mike joked payfully as El blushed and shoved his shoulder. 

“Hey lovebirds!” the three of them heard from behind them, turning around to see Steve, Nancy, and Holly. “Way to go middle Wheeler, never thought I’d see the day!” Steve said, cockily folding his arms over his chest. Noticing the death glare from his leader (Steve was older yes, but Mike was still in charge of the Draco’s and Steve loved being part of the gang) he continued, “Now that we know where they are, how are we going to get them out?” 

“We?” Mike asked pointedly, hands on his hips. “I can understand Nancy and Steve but not you Holly, you’re too young.”

Holly immediately huffed in frustration, “You can’t make me stay here Mike! Mom could be there!”

“It’s too dangerous Holly, no,” Mike huffed back in frustration. 

El could see a huge fight about to break out, so she tried to ease the tension, “Holly, Mike is right.” Mike smirked in satisfaction but then El continued, “It will be dangerous but that doesn’t mean you can’t help. I will need you here, safe, but you will be our eyes and ears. I’m going to have Robin and Erica here as well, hacking into the security system in Brenner’s building. You will be in our ears the entire time via headsets, patrolling the halls and telling us when someone is coming. Sound fair? Your job is incredibly important, we can’t do this without you.” This seemed to calm the girl, who nodded in agreeance, “Ok, I can do that.”

El smiled and looked at her boyfriend, “That ok with you?” He instantly responded, cupping her cheek with his hand, gently caressing her lips. His eyes were full of adoration, pride, and something else El couldn’t quite figure out yet but she smiled and leaned into his touch. Finally he answered, “It’s brilliant, thank you…” He slowly bent over and brushed his lips against hers, and El almost forgot there were other people in the room, until Steve cleared his throat.

El simply giggled while Mike smirked, giving her one last lingering kiss. The moment finally passed and El exhaled slowly, wanting to stay in this bubble of bliss but work had to be done. “Alright, let’s gather everyone else here tonight and start planning. I want to execute our plan in three days.”

“Three days?! But we still have six days until our time is over,” Will said nervously, “Shouldn’t we take the extra time to plan?” but Mike was already shaking his head no. “We need to do it sooner rather than later, if we wait too long Brenner may decide to move again or decide to execute his plans even sooner. I wouldn’t put it past him to do that. We need to end this once and for all.”

Everyone stared at him and El, full of fear and apprehension but nodded. They were right, they needed to end this once and for all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Until next time! :)


End file.
